PM: Israel respects Egyptian election results

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he respects the Egyptian election results and that he hopes the peace agreements between the two countries will be honored.

After learning that the Muslim Brotherhood`s candidate Mohamed Morsi gained victory in Egypt`s first ever democratic elections, Netanyahu issued a statement hoping for continued cooperation between the two countries.

"Israel looks forward to continuing cooperation with the Egyptian government on the basis of the peace treaty between the two countries, which is a joint interest of both peoples and contributes to regional stability," said the statement issued by the Prime Minister`s Office a short while after the election results became public.

"Israel appreciates the democratic process in Egypt and respects the results of the presidential elections," said the statement as quoted by Xinhua News Agency.

However, other government members were more cautious about the outcome of the elections.

"Looks like we were right when we said the Arab Spring would become an `Islamic Winter,` even though Western nations laughed us off at the time," Ha`aretz daily quoted an Israeli official, who preferred to remain anonymous.

Opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich from the Labor Party welcomed the result. "Despite the complexity entailed in it, we must conduct a dialogue with whoever is elected to lead Egypt," he said.

Since the beginning of Egypt`s uprising in January 2011 that led to the ousting of then President Hosni Mubarak, Israel has maintained a low profile regarding Egyptian politics, in fear that any comment could endanger the peace treaty the two countries signed in 1979.

However, despite that the agreement remains, relations between Israel and Egypt have chilled since Mubarak`s exit, with Israeli officials forecasting even icier relations if the Muslim Brotherhood was elected.

Morsi announced last week that he intends to respect the peace treaty with Israel and the bilateral relations, mainly due to U.S. threats to cut the yearly grants to Egypt`s military budget if they retract from the treaty. 

Source: ANTARA